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Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: The New Honorary Knight

The four Lawrence brothers—the real power behind the family—murmured quietly among themselves, until finally, Schubert stepped forward.

"Enough arguing. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

His tone carried a false bravado, as if he were some tragic hero marching toward martyrdom.

"Let's go. I'll return to the Knights of Favonius with you. I did it all."

When the doors to the hall opened, the crowd that had been gathered outside quickly backed away.

Worried that those further out might not hear, Victor Wang raised his voice and shouted, "Schubert Lawrence has confessed to colluding with the Fatui. The crime is confirmed. He is now in custody and will be brought to the Knights of Favonius for sentencing!"

The crowd erupted in chatter. Someone tried to step forward and confront Victor, but was immediately pulled back by a companion.

"You're crowding the path—I can't get through. Make way, please."

As he parted the crowd, Victor watched their expressions closely.

Some were genuinely shocked. Others were also shocked—but in a way that betrayed a deeper guilt. Their uneasy glances said it all.

Clearly, colluding with the Fatui was no isolated act—it was known among the upper ranks.

A path opened. Schubert followed Victor of his own accord, heading for the manor's gates.

As they passed the central fountain, Eula finally emerged from the crowd.

"Uncle... I didn't expect it to be you."

Not expecting Eula to be there, Schubert exploded in rage. "Eula! You're helping outsiders turn on your own family?!"

"Outsiders? I am a Knight of Favonius."

"You! You bear the noble blood of the Lawrences! We let it slide when you ran off to the Knights of Favonius without permission—but now you're personally arresting your own uncle? You're happy, aren't you?! You're a Lawrence! You should help restore the family's former glory… I can't believe this! Do you think you deserve everything the family gave you?! If you were still with us, we wouldn't have to fear some brat like him!"

Schubert was shaking with anger, his goat-like beard trembling. He jabbed a finger at Victor Wang's forehead.

"Here's your chance—take him down and we'll forgive you. You'll be welcomed back into the family. Hurry!"

Victor spread his hands, exasperated.

"Did I hear that right? You want a Knight of Favonius to arrest another Knight of Favonius?"

"I'll say it again—you're not a Knight. You are a Lawrence! You were our hope for revival! Do you have any idea how much we invested in you?! You must follow the family's will!"

"When have I ever followed the family's will?"

"You—!" Schubert spun around and pointed at Eula. "You ungrateful disgrace!"

"If anyone should be angry here, it should be me." Eula placed her hands on her hips, her voice rising. "You knew you were a Lawrence, yet you committed acts that endangered Mondstadt's safety. Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused others?"

Victor chimed in, "Isn't that why people won't even sell to Lawrences on the street? It's because of people like you."

Schubert pointed his shaking finger back and forth between the two of them. He clutched at his chest, his breathing labored.

"You… you… how dare you lecture me?!"

"Yes. I am lecturing you. Uncle, I never experienced the so-called glory days you talk about. I don't understand the obsession with them. But I do know right from wrong. And I know what should be done. The Lawrence family will not, and should not, become what you envision."

"Cough cough—a cursed house! A cursed family! How could the Lawrences produce such a monster!"

"Hey now, you're not exactly looking like a noble yourself right now."

Only then did Schubert notice the gazes of the people around him—many of them horrified, as if he were the monster.

He slowly turned, pointing toward the crowd. "You… what are you staring at? You understand me, don't you?"

His finger stopped on someone he recognized—only for that person to shrink back and disappear into the crowd.

"You! Don't think I don't know what you're thinking! Everyone loses control sometimes—"

Then his eyes landed on his niece—the one who'd accompanied Victor Wang earlier. He wasn't sure if she'd been tricked or was in on it.

"Vera! Vera!"

But before he could say more, Vera stepped forward.

"Uncle. I think Eula is right. What you're doing has made things so difficult for us."

"You too?!"

"Lawrence children aren't allowed to interact with other kids outside the family. We're fed noble propaganda day and night. But even if you let us out, no one wants their kids around us. Until Eula came along, not a single restaurant in Mondstadt would serve me. At least now I can eat at Good Hunter.

"When I was little, I didn't understand—I thought the people of Mondstadt were the bad ones. But once I learned the truth about our history, I realized they'd already forgiven us. You haven't forgiven them. You pushed us down this path."

Vera stared Schubert down without a trace of fear.

"True nobility is never about empty pride or shutting yourself away. It's about character. It's about spirit. Our family's first glory came from people like Lord Venerare. But our last glory was destroyed by people like you.

"Look at the Gunnhildr and Ragnvindr families!"

With Vera's words, many of the younger Lawrence generation stepped forward from the crowd. The older family members looked on in shock. When had this happened? When had their indoctrination stopped working?

"This is outrageous! Unthinkable!!"

"The future's already decided. Come on—seeing more will just upset you further."

Victor Wang gently pushed the fuming Schubert out of the manor. Kaeya was already waiting with a team at the gate.

"Congrats. You passed the test. Welcome aboard, colleague."

The drama came to a close.

The next day, Victor Wang returned to the Knights' headquarters to complete the formal registration process.

Back on the third floor, the first step was proving his identity.

When he said he only had an Adventurer's Certificate, the two clerks whispered.

"Is this even allowed?"

"Didn't the last Honorary Knight not even have that? They still passed."

"Should I check with the supervisor?"

"He's an Honorary Knight—command must already know. Asking might be a waste of time… Still, ask just in case. That way, if something goes wrong, we're not responsible. You go. I'll start processing."

"Got it."

They didn't even try to hide the conversation from Victor.

"Here's the contract for you to review. While my colleague confirms your ID, take your time reading. It's quite a bit. Be careful not to get tricked."

Victor accepted the thick contract.

Honorary Knights of Favonius received no salary, and weren't required to report in like regular knights. But in all other respects, they were treated as equals.

Like official knights, they were forbidden from actions that could damage the Knights' reputation. Violations could result in the stripping of their title and contract termination.

Both parties—the Knights of Favonius and the Honorary Knight—could request assistance from each other. But the Knights of Favonius could refuse at their discretion. The Honorary Knight, however, must help within reason, or risk losing the title.

Victor confirmed that clause with the clerk.

The clerk assured him that while it was written that way, the Knights of Favonius rarely issued compulsory requests.

A while later, the other clerk returned with approval from above.

Victor signed several documents. After a bit more waiting, his status was officially registered.

There was no physical certificate, but word of the new Honorary Knight quickly spread through internal channels.

That afternoon, Sidney found the notice on the Knights of Favonius training grounds bulletin board.

Located in the northwest corner of Mondstadt City—north of the Knights of Favonius HQ and west of the Favonius Cathedral—the training grounds were in a wide, quiet area with few residents.

These places were usually far from town—cheaper land, less disturbance.

The purpose? Training new recruits.

Across all of Teyvat, those with Visions were rare—between one in a thousand and one in ten thousand. Most soldiers in every nation's army were just regular people.

The Knights of Favonius recruited a new batch each season. Before formal selection, reserves trained here.

After exams, selected recruits would be posted on this very board. With the assessment just ten days away, every change drew attention.

Fresh off their free lunch, the reserve trainees gathered to read the board and chat on their way back.

Sidney was among them.

"A new Honorary Knight? Dust? Anyone know him?"

His companions all shook their heads.

The last Honorary Knight had banished Stormterror—no one objected to her. But this Dust, a total unknown, was sure to spark discussion.

Sidney remembered a black-robed man from the Adventurers' Guild who also went by Dust—but that guy was just a novice adventurer. No way it's him.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

Honorary Knight. No salary, sure. But regular recruits started as common soldiers—often stuck with guard or support duty. You had to earn promotion.

Honorary Knight? That was a title knight. Straight to the top.

Sidney had already failed the Knights' test twice. This was his third try.

After his last failure, he'd been so desperate to improve that he was granted a Vision. Or at least, that's how he saw it.

With his new power—Anemo, like Acting Grand Master Jean—Sidney was certain: this time, he wouldn't fail.

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